Readers of this blog know that I like the idea of side gigs. So what’s a side gig on which you can spend a ton of time, worry about endlessly, produce no money at all, and feel enormously satisfied?
NaNoWriMo.
What’s that?
NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. If you participate you will finally do what you’ve been huffing and blowing about for years—writing your novel. In the 30 days of November (quick! You’re 1,667 words behind already) you must write 50,000 words of a novel. As NaNos are fond of saying, that doesn’t mean 50,000 GOOD words, just 50,000 words. That follow in a line. With some presumed content. That’s 1,667 words per day, but once you’ve done NaNoWriMo, you make every effort to get ahead at the beginning—write more on the first weekend and you’ll have a lot happier Thanksgiving.
But this blog is supposed to be about financial issues, so I’m going to give a few financial tips I’ve learned by winning NaNoWriMo (meaning, in 2009 I actually did write a 50,000 word novel. And yes, I’m going to try this year). You don’t have to be a writer or other kind of dreamer to benefit:
- Getting a head start provides insurance against un-looked-for disasters. With your money or your month, things don’t always go as planned. Start saving early in life is the same as building an early word count—even if there’s an interruption later, you’ve got SOMETHING.
- Even if it’s late, you can do more than you thought possible. In 2009, I wrote nearly 10,000 words in 3 days in order to finish. I’ve never written that much before or since, and I spent years as a freelance writer. If you superglue your butt to a chair, you can make a lot of progress. If you put pedal to the metal on saving and cutting expenses, you can make a real difference to your future, no matter when you start.
- Done is better than perfect. Honestly, I’d been talking about that novel for years. I wrote it. It’s not that great, but at least I have something to work with now. You might not have saved “enough” for retirement, but anything is better than nothing.No matter what you do, effort will give you more results than not trying at all.
- Sometimes you have to make really hard choices to get what you want. Don’t even ask how high the dishes were stacked in the sink by the end of November. Unfortunately the resident teen was also doing NaNo and couldn’t be press-ganged into service, either. Belt-tightening for you might be selling your junk on eBay, re-evaluating insurance, or getting rid of a few cars. Plenty of scratch? Nice, but then maybe you ought to consider contributing to a worthwhile cause or charity.
- It’s easier to make hard choices if there’s an end in sight, and a reward. NaNo is a month long. Set yourself a financial goal, with a deadline and a measurable outcome, then do everything possible to get there. Make up your mind and you’ll find a way.
- Get moral support. Writing a novel in a month seems absolutely impossible the first time you hear about NaNoWriMo. But the strength of the program is the events that are scheduled (kick off parties, write-ins, online buddies) that keep you uplifted and let you talk to people that have actually done it before. Shock—they’re probably no more talented than you are. Similarly, seek support for your financial goals. Meet with an accountability partner, join an investment club, commit to one hour per day of reading about financial issues, subscribe to and READ a personal financial magazine, participate in online communities and blogs.
- Get up early.
Especially if you want something better than worms.
